Gurich takes title, five other Mustangs place in Mission-SJ
Tournament.
SAN JOSE – There is little anyone or anything can do to stop the Gilroy High wrestling from its quest for a Central Coast Section Championship.
But the Mustang matmen – who are undefeated in league, winners of the Sierra Nevada Classic and Cupertino Tournament, and runner-ups in the Mid-Cals and Coast Classic – were up against a lot for last weekend’s Mission San Jose Tournament.
Half of the team was fighting an illness the week leading up to the tournament and junior 171-pound stud Mark Zabala did not make the trip with the rest of his teammates.
Even with lowered expectations, 12 garlic grapplers advanced to the second day of competition. But Saturday’s matches had some more adversity in store for CCS’s top-ranked team – which dropped three bouts by one point, one in overtime, one in double-overtime, and another big-time upset.
“They thinned us out with some tough calls,” head coach Armondo Gonzalez said. “They overcame bad calls, the adversity of being sick, and placed six guys and second as a team. I’m so proud of their efforts.”
Gilroy finished up in second place behind tournament champion Liberty – which was only 14 points ahead at the end of the two-day competition.
“With Mark (Zabala), we would have definitely won the tournament. We would’ve gotten 20-25 more points with Mark in the tournament,” Gonzalez said. “Liberty is a team that is going to win the North Coast Section so I think we showed our strength against them.
“We’re wrestling really well,” the coach added. “We’re working on making adjustments so we don’t lose those one-point matches.”
Junior 103-pounder John Gurich followed up his first-place showing at the Mid-Cals with another weight class championship – the only one Gilroy won.
Freshmen Adin Duenas – at 112s – and Armondo Gonzalez – at 119s – both placed third in their respective weight classes. Duenas lost a tight overtime match in the semifinals before wrestling back to third place.
Gonzalez was well on his way to the tournament finals – winning 10-2 in his semifinal bout against Campacito’s John Triggas, an opponent he previously beat 13-2.
“He just got caught in a cradle and was upset for only his second loss of the year,” said Coach Gonzalez of his son. “It was very hard for him to swallow.”
Triggas went on to win the weight class title and, due to his upset of Gonzalez, was named the tournament’s most outstanding wrestler. Meanwhile, Gonzalez pressed on – winning 13-2 and 4-2 in wrestlebacks to place third.
Senior 125-pounder Danny San Juan also placed third after dropping a one-point match to Mission San Jose’s Mike Chen in the semifinals. Junior 130-pounder Chad Haygood fell from the ranks after dropping a double-overtime decision to the eventual runner-up.
At 135s, senior Gilbert Gutierrez came on with an impressive win over Bellarmine’s Armondo Palomo by a 10-0 margin and another upset of the tournament’s No. 4 seeded wrestler. Gutierrez then lost a tough one-point bout to the eventual champion, a state-ranked wrestler. But by beating Palomo – the CCS’s NO. 3 ranked kid – “he really solidified his seeding for CCS,” said Coach Gonzalez.
Junior 140-pounder Callan Romesberg placed fifth for the second straight time – duplicating his performance in Gilroy High’s Mid-Cals. Romesberg was unseeded going into the tournament.
“He fought hard and placed fifth again,” said Coach Gonzalez of Romesberg. “He has two showings and two placings. He’s wrestling as good as anybody on the team.”
Senior 145-pounder Andrew Rauss was one win away from placing at a heavier weight, while teammate Miguel Maldonado – who has wrestled only one bout all season due to a shoulder strain – finished with a 3-2 record.
“(Rauss) is giving up some weight. That’s the only reason he loses those close matches,” Coach Gonzalez said. “(Maldonado) stepped up and wrestled really well. He lost by one point to be able to place.”
Senior 189-pounder Ryan Reynaud won three matches, while junior 160-pounder Nick Fortino and 215-pounder Jose Albarron both finished up with 2-2 records
“Ryan Reynaud wrestled probably his best tournament of the year. He won three matches,” Coach Gonzalez said. “Every wrestler on the team won a match – which contributed to our placing second. If we had Zabala, and Mando won his match, and Haygood won his match, and we won some other close matches, we would have won the tournament.”
HAWKS SIGN-UP: Gilroy Hawks wrestling club sign-up will take place Thursday, Feb. 6 at South Valley Junior High from 5 to 7 p.m. Practices will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays at South Valley for the first three weeks before sessions shift over to Gilroy High School.
